Delamere family seeks to make peace with Cholmondeley’s troubled past

August 25, 2016 6:54 pm

Shares

Cholmondeley did not face a murder trial for shooting and killing Sisina back in 2005 after claiming self-defence/FILE

By CORRESPONDENT, NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 25 – The Delamere family on Thursday moved to compensate the family of late Kenya Wildlife Service Ranger Samson ole Sisina ahead of Tom Cholmondeley’s burial on Friday.

Members of the Maasai community had threatened to disrupt the burial if the Delamere family did not honour its commitment to compensate the Sisina family; Cholmondeley having shot the ranger over 10 years ago.

Sisina’s wife Lucy and Maasai Elders were to make their way to the Delamere Gilgil farm on Thursday, according to a source close to the family, to claim heads of cattle as compensation.

When contacted, Lucy confirmed that she had indeed been invited to the farm and had been making her way there.

According to the source, Cholmondeley’s father Hugh took the decision to expediently settle matters with the Sisina’s family to keep that dark period of his son’s past from casting a shadow over what they hope will be a peaceful send off.

Cholmondeley did not face a murder trial for shooting and killing Sisina back in 2005 after claiming self-defence.

Sisina was among rangers who entered the Delamere farm in search of game meat when he was shot by Cholmondeley who later told authorities that Sisina had cut a threatening figure.

He did however serve time in Maximum Security Prison Kamiti for shooting and killing one Robert Njoya a year later.

Cholmondeley claimed he shot and killed Njoya for poaching on his family land in Soysambu, Gilgil.

It’s on the same property that Cholmondeley will be lowered into the ground, alongside his grandfather, with 200 family and friends in attendance including his former wife Sally Brewerton and their two children.

Cholmondeley died on August 17 whilst undergoing a hip replacement operation at the MP Shah Hospital.

“Tom had fractured his hip during a fall while travelling overseas in 2015. That injury was treated, but subsequent to a later accident, it required further medical attention and eventually the surgery,” a statement from the family read.

The initial results of the postmortem conducted a day after his demise were inconclusive with further test results expected.

Thomas Patrick Gilbert Cholmondeley was the only son of Hugh George Cholmondeley, 5th Baron Delamere, and his wife Anne Willoughby.

But as even in death, Sisina’s shooting still hangs over him, his partner Sally Dumesh, in a statement from the family, remembered him as, “an impressive man in both stature and character,” while Lord Delamere held on to his father’s pride to the end, Cholmondeley’s chequered past be damned. “I am extremely proud of him indeed.”